so good

life is so good right now. indescribably so.

i love my job.

i love my family.

i love my boyance.

i love minneapolis.

i love my friends.

I love the balance I've finally found some sort of manner to achieve.

The Big E

That's right, the big E: Engagement.

Here's how it happened.

On December 23rd, our 8 month anniversary, Nick had the day off but I was working. I knew he was up to something, but not sure exactly what or how it would happen. He showed up to my office that morning with gerbera daisies (my favorites!), Russell Stover chocolates (yum!), a CD, and a card. The card had a picture of us inside, with a note on the back that said "This is for the last eight months."After he left, but not before he told me that there were more surprises to come, I listened to the CD, where he read me a poem he had written.

I worked the rest of the day, but wasn't very focused! After work I went to my massage appointment, then to my chiropractor. While I was at the chiropractor, Nick showed up. He waited for me to finish, then took me to the nearby restaurant where we'd had our first date 8 months ago. We reminisced what it was like then and what it was like now. He gave me another card with another picture, this time a note on the back saying "This is for today."

After dinner we drove back to my apartment. At my apartment, he took me into my room, plugged in his iPod, and told me he'd found this great song during the day and wanted to play it for me. It was "This I Know" by Sam & Ruby. We'd never heard of the duo before, but the lyrics were perfect. (I tried to find them online to share them, but no luck. Sorry!) We danced together during the song.

After dancing together, Nick told me to stay put and went back into the living room. He came back with another card with another picture inside that said "This is for the many years to come."

Then he kissed me on one cheek for 8 months.

Kissed me on the other cheek for today.

And then he got down on one knee and said, "Nikki Maatman, will you marry me?"

So here we are, happily engaged, enjoying the moment before we packed up Nick's car and drove to his parents to avoid the blizzard conditions.

Here's the ring. Beautiful!

And your token engagement picture..

And kissy.

Valentine's Day Visit

So, last night I got to tell my dear friend about a plan that has been in the works for a few weeks, and it all revolves around her!

For Christmas, I collaborated with my best friend's, Sarah's, parents and husband to get her a flight to fly out to Minneapolis over Valentine's Day weekend. It was tricky!

You see, my best friend who is like a sister to me, has just moved to California with her husband and little baby. She and I have been talking about how long it has been since we've seen each other and how much we want to spend time with her. I knew that I wanted to see her and that she wanted to spend more time with my boyfriend getting to know him.

So, after talking with Nick, we agreed that it was important to try to get her to come visit. I e-mailed her sister-in-law, a mutual friend of ours, and asked for Sarah's mom's contact info. You see, the other issue was that there was no way to contact her husband without her knowing about it. They don't have a home phone. He doesn't have his own e-mail, own Facebook, or cell phone. Everything is shared.

So, I shot an e-mail to Sarah's mom and we started frantically planning. There are so many people to thank for making this happen - thanks, Andrea, for hooking me up with the contact info I need! Thanks, Sarah's parents for being willing to make this work! Thank you to Sarah's husband for being willing to be without his wife on her birthday and on Valentine's day, 2 pretty big days in anyone's life! Thanks to my parents, who helped transfer frequent flyer miles to make this ticket affordable to everyone involved.

To end the story, I want to just tell a little bit about how I got to tell Sarah about her gift. We were talking on the phone, as we do probably 3-6 times a week. I was on my way to Nick's and she was preparing dinner, mentioning that her parents were coming over for dinner soon. I thought to myself, "What a perfect time to tell her about the gift when her parents arrive, since they were so involved."

As Sarah was getting ready to end the phone conversation because her parents had arrived, I said, "Wait one minute, I have one more thing to tell you. What are you doing for your birthday?" Well, of course she didn't have plans yet. So, I asked, "How would you like to come to Minneapolis?"

Much screaming and squealing ensued. I was told there was lots of jumping down and her family laughed at her excitement. We talked about when she was coming, leaving, and all the amazing things that we can do while she is here visiting.

I am so ecstatic to have my dearest friend in the universe coming to visit me once more. I'm sure you will see many pictures in February once the visit actually happens!!

7 months ago

7 months ago...

- I was a nervous wreck, unsure if I wanted to go on another first date

- I had it all planned out, down to the timing of going to my appointment before the date, timing it all out

- I was calling friends, asking advice, telling them what the plan was

- I was telling people my plans, just in case the guy I'd met online was some kind of creep

- My coworker offered me some silky Valentine's Day boxers donated to the office

7 months ago...

- I met the man I am going to marry

- We went out for Italian, had amazing conversation, and I couldn't wait for another date

- I called my friends, said, "He's not some kind of creep" and was ready to see him again ("In public" of course!)

- I went home with a smile on my face and a kiss on the cheek.

Today is our 7 months, if you didn't catch my drift :) Tonight Nick made Chicken Parmigiana for us (his first real cooking endeavor!) and it was amazing. These 7 months have been more amazing than I could have ever asked for. Every day I am more thankful for the blessing he is in my life!

Goodbye, Farewell, Adieu!

This weekend we said goodbye to a dear friend, Melissa, who flying on a plane right now for Rwanda. Yay!

On Sunday afternoon we all got together to have food, company, and hot apple cider and say farewell to our dear friend.

Here are 4 of the 5 Columbus girls, together for one last picture. Now we are down to 3 from our original 5. At least the other two are both on the same continent!

Party attendees: Front (L-R): Heather, Renee, Julia; Back (L-R): Nick, Nikki, Emily, Melissa, Megan, Jeff.

Poll: Inappropriate?

It's time for all you readers to weigh in and tell me what you really think.

Yesterday, I posted pictures of our vacation in North Carolina on Facebook. We had a fantastic time on our vacation with family and great sight seeing.

But, here comes your opinion. The picture below (which, btw, you can click on to see the rest of the photos) was included. Some friends made comments about how it was PDA... not sure if they were kidding or serious.

What do you think? Is the picture posted here PDA? Should I have kept it to myself? Weigh in!

APOW 10/7/09

Go Twins!!

APOW 9/30/2009

I got a whiteboard at work today! I am super excited to use it for my to-do list, as well as reminders for things that I do on a daily, weekly, monthly, and quarterly basis. Administrative nerds, unite!

APOW 9/23/09

Tomorrow is National Punctuation Day. Celebrate!

APOW 9/16/09

So lately, my boyfriend has been getting me addicted to all sorts of video games. Bad, I know. But it's a good way to pass the time together, and I get super excited when I beat him. For example, I beat him for the first time this weekend, and it was a glorious moment. It may be the first and last time that happens.

It started innocently with some Nintendo 64. Played some Mario Party 2 & 3. And then, the boyfriend brought Mario Party to my house. It lives at my apartment. It gets played.

And then, Beatles Rock Band. Lots of playing. Fun times.

Then, this weekend, boyfriend brought his Wii to live at my apartment. Danger, Will Robinson, Danger. My favorite game which prompted the APOW?
I play in my free time to get better so that I can actually win!

fall

Hi Friends.

I know it's been a while since I've had a good update, so I'm going to give it to you straight and give it to you right now.

I love fall. I was just thinking about how fall can symbolize change, new beginnings, and freshness. There's a lot of that going on in life right now.

• I started my class at the U of M this week. I'm excited for learning and to be in the classroom again. So far I'm even excited about homework, but we'll see how long that actually lasts!
• Nick and I are looking for a church and we've found a potential that we're really excited about. It's a church plant in the Twin Cities "proper" area. We met with the pastor and his wife this week and are excited to attend their first service kicking off their weekly services.
• TV shows are returning and starting up. I'm not going as all out as I have in the past, but I'm excited for Gossip Girl, The Amazing Race, and Survivor, along with a few other ones possibly thrown in (still trying to decide about America's Next Top Model...)
• I'm starting up volunteering this week at a place I used to go to weekly. I'm excited to be there on Thursday nights from 5-7pm and use my Spanish skills.
• Tutoring starts up for the 3rd year in a row this month and I'm excited to see some old students and new ones and see what subjects I'll be immersing myself in this year.

So much is happening! I hope you are doing well whether things are business as usual, the start of a new school year, or something else. Tell me what you're up to!

Oh, also, in honor of Gossip Girl beginning this coming Monday and my immense love for Chuck Bass, I found this video of Ed Westwick (aka Chuck Bass) on Jimmy Fallon. Check it out here

APOW 9/9/09 - Como?

My apologies, I've been sorely lacking in blogging -both with APOW and with life in general. Life, as always, has been a tad on the crazy side.
This week's APOW comes in honor of interpretation. Yesterday I began my first class toward earning a certificate in Interpration and Translation. The class is Introduction to Interpreting. I've already learned (gasp!) plenty - and am getting used to a 3-hour night class that meets once a week, something that I always avoiding during my college days.

As a plug, if you ever need an interpreter or translator for Spanish or English, I'm your man, er, girl. Soon enough, I'll have the schooling to prove it!

A Fair of the State

Yesterday was State Fair day. In Minnesota, apparently the State Fair is kind of a big deal. So, we drove to a park-and-ride, stood in line, rode a bus, and arrived at the great Minnesota get-together.There were loads of people at the fair, of course, because it was a beautiful Saturday, 65 degrees, partly sunny... (I could become a weather girl!)
The view (ish) from the State Fair. Okay, this is us at the state fair.

This is Nick's beer on a stick. You really can put anything on a stick, and this year the newest addition was beer.

I opted for Naked juice instead of beer. And no, mine wasn't on a stick (I should have asked!)

All in all a fantastic day. A few notable memories:
- Number of purple Brett Favre jerseys: 19
- Best phrase of the day: Mom (to a 6 year-old): No, honey, we can't do that, it's too expensive (because of course he understands what expensive really means!)
- Lunch: Pizza... on a stick!

Daycation

This weekend we took a little trip up North. Because we're from Minnesota, don't ya know, and that's what they do here in the summer. You betcha.

So, I told boyfriend that we were going somewhere. And I didn't say where. Or what we were doing. So we just got in the car and started driving north. He's pretty smart, so it didn't take too long to figure it out.First we stopped at Gooseberry Falls State Park, about 1 hour north of Duluth. There we hiked, looked at waterfalls, and had a picnic.

Then we took the scenic route back to Duluth, stopping to look at the lake, the beach, the rocks, the flowers, the scene. Pretty much amazing.

Finally, we stopped in Duluth and walked around by the shore. Watched the water, the boats, the people.

We ended the day by driving back to Minneapolis, stopping for dinner on the way.

Everything about the day was fantastic!

APOW - Horrible Serenity?!

This week's APOW is of a favorite actor of mine, Neil Patrick Harris, as Dr. Horrible in Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog.
An amazing short series made for the internet during the writers' strike, I have the fine pleasure of going to see this short-ish compilation at the Riverview TheaterAlong with Dr. Horrible is a movie called Serenity, a 2005 movie based of a series on Fox called Firefly.
In honor of the event, we attempted to watch almost all of the episodes of Firefly to prepare for Serenity. I hadn't seen Firefly before, but my very awesome coworker (yay, Colleen!) owns the series and lent it to us. We got through all but 3. Boyfriend watched the last three whilst I spent the evening at Valleyfair.So, tonight, we go to the Riverview for Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog and Serenity. I can't wait!

APOW 8/5/09

Brother is here visiting. On Saturday he asked me if he could come visit for the week. On Sunday he told me he would be here on Monday. So here he is. So far it's been pretty mellow, some chillin', some maxin', some actin' all cool. He hasn't started causing trouble in my neighborhood, although he has walked around it.

Last night we went out to eat at Pizza Luce which is some amazing pizza. Lots of leftovers, which I'm a fan of. Afterward we went to one of the Minneapolis movies in the park and watched Back to the Future with lots of other people who enjoyed it. Other fellow members of the audience clapped when George McFly punched Biff. They clapped when the movie ended.

I don't really clap for movies. I've never understood it. Maybe I should. But I don't. I just smile and remember how much I love the movie. And I laugh when my brother tells me the next line before they say. "Damn. [pause] Damn. [pause] Damn, damn."

APOW: Adrenaline

I almost gave you Brett Favre today. And then I remembered that this is the Amazing/Awesome picture of the week. That would not have been so Awesome.

So, I give you Valleyfair. It's my newest love. I am going again in August. Twice. My 2 favorite rides:

The Extreme Swing is exactly what it claims. It swings you back and forth. You get to look down at people on the sidewalk. It's pretty much amazing. I can't wait to do it again.

And Steel Venom. This is only a taste. But you start level, it shoots you up there, then you go back and up, kind of like a pendulum. Lather, rinse, repeat.

You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown

So, I know some crafty people in my life. Last weekend, a few of them collaborated together to give me a fun little surprise. After the week at camp, I headed to my parents' to spend the rest of my weekend. Little did I know that my mom and Nick had conspired together for him to be there. Here we are, when I first see him, utterly surprised. Pretty sure I said, "What are you doing here?"
And here we are hanging out. Pretty much it was a good way to end a week of vacation!
In other news, I would just like to say that I love the sound of thunderstorms. While we haven't had a full out storm in a while, I'm a fan of the little ones that come along. I'm currently sitting at my desk in my apartment, windows open, rain falling. There was some thunder earlier, yay!

This weekend equals hanging out with family, Valleyfair, and Aquatennial fireworks. It's going to be a good weekend.

In another random note, I'm reading this crazy, satirical book called Captain Freedom: A Superhero's Quest for Truth, Justice, and the Celebrity he so Richly Deserves. It's great. It's crazy. It's funny.

APOW. Times Two.

Hi Friends. A real post is coming soon. I was gone all last week, so you are being treated to a double APOW, with two fun pictures and related links...

I bring you Sarah Palin. We all know her, *cough* love her. Vanity Fair has posted a fantastic bit where copy editors tear apart her resignation speech. If you're a grammar nerd like me, this is fantastic. I cringed. Mostly, I wonder how she would have been as Vice President. Scary. Read it if you can. I couldn't get past the first 2 pages because I was seeing so much red...

And, once again, for some comic relief, I bring you Ed Westwick. New York Magazine had an online article about a commenter for the Gossip Girl blog who finally met Chuck Bass *cough* er, I mean, Ed Westwick.

I'd just like to make 2 comments about that article: First, I hope my boyfriend would do the same for me. Amazing. Second, I love September 14th, too, and I can't wait!

APOW: Inspiration Ahead

Next week, I'll be at Inspiration Hills for the week, volunteer as a chaplain. So, in honor of the upcoming week, here is your APOW: Inspiration Ahead!